Higher turnout in the church elections

The elections to the General Synod show that Arbetarepartiet – Socialdemokraterna (S) (Social Democrats) remains the largest nomination group, with 71 seats. Partipolitiskt obundna i Svenska kyrkan (POSK) (Non-politically affiliated members of the Church of Sweden) is the second largest, with 45 seats. Centerpartiet (Centre Party) lost eight seats, while De Gröna i Svenska kyrkan (DGSK) (Greens in the Church of Sweden) performed well in the elections, increasing from 8 to 19 seats.

As of this year’s elections, a new seat threshold applies, which means that nomination groups must have received at least two percent of the votes to win a seat on the General Synod. Himmel och Jord (HoJ) (Heaven and Earth) crossed this threshold to win six seats, while Alternativ för Sverige (AfS) (Alternative for Sweden) won no seats.

The elections were held in 2,085 constituencies, encompassing three levels: the General Synod, the Diocesan Council and the Parish Assembly.

“Many members chose to take advantage of the opportunity to actively influence the direction of the church,” says Nils Warmland, leader of the church elections. “This is proof not only of a high level of commitment, but also of the fact that democracy and member influence are fundamental to the Church of Sweden.”

Turnout by diocese

Diocese	2025	2021
Uppsala Diocese	18,36	18,09
Linköpings Diocese	17,68	17,01
Skara Diocese	17,82	17,96
Strängnäs Diocese	18,02	17,36
Västerås Diocese	17,42	18,09
Växjö Diocese	18,18	18,16
Lunds Diocese	17,54	16,68
Göteborgs Diocese	18,51	17,88
Karlstads Diocese	17,92	17,47
Härnösands Diocese	17,58	17,70
Luleå Diocese	18,04	17,65
Visby Diocese	18,88	19,12
Stockholms Diocese	23,08	22,26

Turnout in 2025: 18,84%
Turnout in 2021: 18,39%

Appeals:

The election results can be appealed to the Church of Sweden’s Election Supervisory Committee.
Överklagande av val - Kyrkovalet

Election meeting for the 2026–2029 term

The newly elected General Synod will come together for an election meeting on 19–20 November in Uppsala. This is when the Presidium of the General Synod, Central Board of the Church of Sweden, Doctrinal Commission, several other committees, members of the cathedral chapter in Visby diocese, nominating committee and auditors are elected. Committee elections will take place during the first session of the General Synod in 2026